Wife URGED Him to RECORD Fingerpicking Exercise…Became ICONIC Band’s ONLY Top 10 | Professor Of Rock

Legendary rock band Kansas was coming off of a huge single with Carry On Wayward Son and album with Leftoverture that established them as the one of the premier bands of the 70s as they were woking on their follow up their main songwriter Kerry Livgren was playing a fingerpicking exercise when his wife noticed and told him he should put lyrics to it. He did and wrote Dust in the Wind with lyrics that go back to Genesis in the Bible making it 6000 years old. The next day he was reticent to show the band this song since it was a ballad and totally opposite to what they were about. but as soon as he showed them they knew it had to be their next single. It became their only top 10 hit and in the interview next original guitarist and founding member Rich Willams tells how the song was such an ordeal it made his fingers bleed and how Steve Walsh made it flow… with special guests on how the 70s rock classic has changed everything.

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#1970s #rock #kansas

Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you became an expert at fixing 8 tracks and cassettes when ever they are eaten by your stereo You’ll be right at home with this channel Make sure to subscribe so you never miss out on our daily content. The stories of the songs from the legends . also if you’d like to be an honorary producer of our content and see more videos including behind the scenes click on our patreon link below.

It’s time for another edition of our series The New Standards. This show takes an in-depth look into songs that transcend genre, decade, and fads - songs that are monumental touchstones in our culture and society. today we are taking a deep dive into one of the greatest and most though provoking ballads of the rock era with direct insight from the band’s guitarist Dust in the Wind by Kansas

Kansas is the one of biggest classic rock bands ever. They’ve had 9 gold albums and 3 multiplatinum records. They spent over 200 weeks on the billboard charts in the 70s and 80s . and they are easily one of the biggest rock and roll hall fame snubs in history.

After hitting #11 with their rock anthem carry on wayward song in 1976 and setting the bar with their masterpiece album Leftoverture.. the went back into the studio ready to show what they could do with their follow up... The recording sessions for Point of Know Return commenced in June 1977 at Studio in the Country, in Louisiana the same place Kansas had recorded their previous 2 albums but then due to equipment failure they were forced to change recording sites, the majority of the recording took place at being done at Woodland Studios in Nashville through July of that year and actually lead singer Steve Walsh actually left during the session wanting to go after a solo career. but he ended up recording on the bulk of the album. The band was focused on their signature sound and of course Dust in the Wind is known for its sparse acoustic nature which was in direct contrast to that style.

One night Guitarist Kerry Livgren was at home playing a finger exercise meant for improving finger picking… He played though it several times when his wife Vicci, heard what he was doing, she told him that thought the melody was quit beautiful and told him he should write lyrics for it.

Livgren was pretty reluctant to do this since he felt it was not in line with the music the band was working on currently.